General Information

The United States Air Force retired to the custody of the
National Archives its records on Project BLUE BOOK relating to
the investigations of unidentified flying objects. Project BLUE BOOK has been declassified and the records are available for examination in our research room. The project closed in 1969 and
we have no information on sightings after that date.

The National Archives has received numerous inquiries concerning
documents identified as "MJ12" and "Briefing Document: Operation
Majestic 12." We have made extensive searches among the records
in our custody of the U.S. Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of
Staff to identify these documents. The Truman and Eisenhower
Libraries have also searched their holdings for any references
to, or copies of, the documents. In addition, the records of the
National Security Council (NSC) for the Truman and Eisenhower
Administrations are in the custody of the National Archives.
Searches were made of the indexes to the NSC's Policy Paper and
Meeting Minute files under the subjects MJ-12, majestic,
unidentified flying objects, UFO, flying saucers,extraterrestrial
biological entities and Aquarius. These searches were all
negative with the exception of a "Memorandum for General Twining,
from Robert Cutler, Special Assistant to the President, Subject:
"NCS/MJ-12 Special Studies Project" dated July 14, 1954. The
memorandum, one page, refers to a briefing to take place on July
16. The memorandum does not identify MJ-12 or the purpose of the
briefing.

Project BLUE BOOK Reference Report

Textual records of Project BLUE BOOK (the documentation relating
to investigations of unidentified flying objects), excluding
names of people involved in the sightings, are now available for
research in the National Archives Building. The records include
approximately 2 cubic feet of unarranged project or
administrative files, 37 cubic feet of case files in which
individual sightings are arranged chronologically, and 3 cubic
feet of records relating to the Office of Special Investigations
(OSI), portions of which are arranged chronologically, by OSI
district, and by overseas command. A cubic foot of records
comprises about 2,000 pages. Finding aids for these records
include a file list for the project files and an index to
individual sightings, entered by date and location.

Access to BLUE BOOK textual records is by means of 94 rolls of
35mm microfilm (T-1206) in the National Archives Microfilm
Reading Room. The first microfilm roll includes a list
of contents for all of the rolls and the finding aids.
Photographs scattered among the textual records have also been
filmed separately on the last two rolls.

Motion picture film, sound recordings, and some still pictures are maintained by the Motion Picture & Sound & Video Branch (NNSM) and the Still Picture Branch (NNSP).

U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet Concerning UFO's and Project BLUE BOOK

The following is a copy of the US Air Force Fact Sheet
distributed by Wright-Patterson AFB in January 1985.

United States Air Force
Public Affairs Division,
Wright-Patterson AFB,
Ohio 45433

UFOs & PROJECT BLUE BOOK

On December 17, 1969, the Secretary of the Air Force announced
the termination of Project BLUE BOOK, the Air Force program for
the investigation of UFOS.

From 1947 to 1969, a total of 12, 618 sightings were reported to
Project BLUE BOOK. Of these 701 remain "Unidentified." The
project was headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,
whose personnel no longer receive, document or investigate UFO
reports.

The decision to discontinue UFO investigations was based on an
evaluation of a report prepared by the University of Colorado
entitled, "Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects;" a
review of the University of Colorado's report by the National
Academy of Sciences; past UFO studies and Air Force experience
investigating UFO reports during the 40s, '50s, and '60s.

As a result of these investigations and studies and experience
gained from investigating UFO reports since 1948, the conclusions
of Project BLUE BOOK are:(1) no UFO reported, investigated, and
evaluated by the Air Force has ever given any indication of
threat to our national security;(2) there has been no evidence
submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings
categorized as "unidentified" represent technological
developments or principles beyond the range of present-day
scientific knowledge; and(3) there has been no evidence
indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" are
extraterrestrial vehicles.

With the termination of Project BLUE BOOK, the Air Force
regulations establishing and controlling the program for
investigating and analyzing UFOs were rescinded. Documentation
regarding the former BLUE BOOK investigation has been permanently
transferred to the Military Reference Branch, National Archives
and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, and is
available for public review and analysis.

Since Project BLUE BOOK was closed, nothing has happened to
indicate that the Air Force ought to resume investigating UFOS.
Because of the considerable cost to the Air Force in the past,
and the tight funding of Air Force needs today, there is no
likelihood the Air Force will become involved with UFO
investigation again.

There are a number of universities and professional scientific
organizations, such as the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, which have considered UFO phenomena
during periodic meetings and seminars. In addition, a list of
private organizations interested in aerial phenomena my be found
in Gayle's Encyclopedia of Associations (edition 8, vol-. 1, pp.
432-433). Such timely review of the situation by private groups
ensures that sound evidence will not be overlooked by the
scientific community.

A person calling the base to report a UFO is advised to contact a
private or professional organization (as mentioned above) or to
contact a local law enforcement agency if the caller feels his or
public safety is endangered.

Periodically, it is erroneously stated that the remains of
extraterrestrial visitors are or have been stored at
Wright-Patterson AFB. There are not now nor ever have been, any
extraterrestrial visitors or equipment on Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base.

Majestic 12 or "MJ-12" Reference Report

The National Archives has received many requests for
documentation and information about "Project MJ-12." Many of the
inquiries concern a memorandum from Robert Cutler to Gen. Nathan
Twining, dated July 14, 1954. This particular document poses
problems for the following reasons:

The document was located in Record Group 341, entry 267. The
series is filed by a Top Secret register number. This document
does not bear such a number.

The document is filed in the folder T4-1846. There are no
other documents in the folder regarding "NSC/MJ-12."

Researchers on the staff of the National Archives have
searched in the records of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint
Chiefs on Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and in other
related files. No further information has been found on this
subject.

Inquiries to the U.S. Air Force, the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
and the National Security Council failed to produce further
information.

The Freedom of Information Office of the National Security
Council informed the National Archives that "Top Secret
Restricted Information" is a marking which did not come into use
at the National Security Council until the Nixon Administration.
The Eisenhower Presidential Library also confirm that this
particular marking was not used during the Eisenhower
Administration.

The document in question does not bear an official government
letterhead or watermark. The NARA conservation specialist
examined the paper and determined it was a ribbon
copy prepared on "diction onionskin." The Eisenhower Library has
examined a representative sample of the documents in its
collection of the Cutler papers. All documents in the sample
created by Mr. Cutler while he served on the NSC staff have an
eagle watermark in the bond paper. The onionskin carbon copies
have either an eagle watermark or no watermark at all. Most
documents sent out by the NSC were prepared on White House
letterhead paper. For the brief period when Mr. Cutler left the
NSC, his carbon copies were prepared on "prestige onionskin."

The National Archives searched the Official Meeting Minute
Files of the National Security Council and found no record of a
NSC meeting on July 16, 1954. A search of all NSC Meeting Minutes
for July 1954 found no mention of MJ-12 nor Majestic.

The Judicial, Fiscal and Social Branch searched
the indices of the NSC records and found no listing for: MJ-12,
Majestic, unidentified flying objects, UFO, flying saucers, or
flying discs.

NAJA found a memo in a folder titled "Special Meeting July 16,
1956" which indicated that NSC members would be called to a civil
defense exercise on July 16, 1956.

The Eisenhower Library states, in a letter to the Military
Reference Branch, dated July 16, 1987:

"president Eisenhower's Appointment Books contain no entry for a
special meeting on July 16, 1954 which might have included a
briefing on MJ-12. Even when the President had 'off the record'
meetings, the Appointment Books contain entries indicating the
time of the meeting and the participants ...

"The Declassification office of the National Security Council
has informed us that it has no record of any declassification
action having been taken on this memorandum or any other
documents on this alleged project ..."

Robert Cutler, at the direction of President Eisenhower, was
visiting overseas military installations of the day he
supposedly issued this memorandum--- July 14, 1954. The
Administration Series in Eisenhower's Papers as President
contains Cutler's memorandum and report to the President upon his
return from the trip. The memorandum is dated July 20, 1954 and
refers to Cutler's visits to installations in Europe and North
Africa between July 3 and 15. Also, within the NSC Staff
Papers is a memorandum dated July 3, 1954, from Cutler to
his two subordinates, James S. Ia and J. Patrick Cone,
explaining how they should handle NSC administrative matters
during his absence; one would assume that if the memorandum
to Twining were genuine, Lay or Cone would have signed it."

When certifying a document under the seal of the National Archives we attest
that the reproduction is a true copy of a document in our custody. We do not
authenticate documents or the information contained in a document.

The "Roswell Incident"

The National Archives has been unable to locate any
documentation among the Project BLUE BOOK records which discuss
the 1947 incident in Roswell, New Mexico.

On September 8, 1994, the Secretary of the Air Force, Sheila E.
Widnall, announced that the United States Air Force had completed
its study to locate records that relate to the alleged 1947 UFO
incident near Roswell, New Mexico. Pro-UFO researchers claim
that an extraterrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants were
recovered near Roswell in July of 1947, and that this fact was
kept from the public.

At the request of Congressman Steven H. Schiff (R-NM), the
General Accounting Office (GAO) initiated an audit in February of
1994, to locate all records relating to the "Roswell Incident"
and to determine if such records were properly handled. The GAO
audit was completed and the results published by the
Headquarters, U.S. Air Force in 1995. The publication is
entitled "The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico
Desert." This publication may be obtained from most U.S.
Government Depository Library. The call number is ISBN 0-16-
048023-X.

The General Accounting Office audit involved a number of
government agencies but focused on the Air Force. To support
this audit, the Air Force initiated a systematic search of
current Air Force offices as well as numerous archives and
records centers which might help explain the incident. Air Force
officials also interviewed a number of persons who may have had
knowledge of the events. Prior to the interviews, Secretary
Widnall released those persons from any previous security
obligations that may have restricted their statements.

The Air Force research did not locate or develop any information
that the "Roswell Incident" was a UFO event nor was there any
indication of a "cover-up" by the Government. Information
obtained through exhaustive records searches and interviews
indicated that the materials recovered near Roswell was
consistent with a balloon devise of the type used in a then
classified project. No records indicated or even hinted that the
recovery of "alien" bodies or extraterrestrial materials.

All documentation related to this case are now declassified and
the information in the public domain. Documentation has been
turned over to the office of the Air Force Historian.